This invention relates to a cervical sampling apparatus.
It has long been recognized that women should be examined periodically for evidence of cervical cancer. Unfortunately, many women neglect to have such examinations performed because of the inconvenience involved in traveling to a doctor's office, etc. It is known to provide a device which permits the taking of cervical cancer test specimens in the home for subsequent mailing to a doctor. The present invention comprises an improvement over such a device which is characterized by critical dimensions that permit its use by virtually any adult woman.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a cervical sampling apparatus comprises an elongate, curved, substantially rigid, hollow tube including structure for locating one end thereof within the vaginal canal adjacent the cervix, a paddle-shaped sampling member nomally housed within said one end of the tube, and apparatus for extending the sampling member out of the tube to a sampling position and for subsequently retracting the sampling member into the tube. The apparatus is preferably formed entirely of inexpensive, sterilizable, disposable materials, and the tube is characterized by an outside diameter of about 5/8 inch, a radius of curvature of about 91/2 inches, and a working length of about 31/2 inches. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus for extending and retracting the sampling member comprises a flexible shaft which extends through the tube for manipulation from the opposite end thereof.
In the preferred use of the invention, the tube is inserted into the vaginal canal with the sampling member positioned in the tube. When the tube is properly positioned, the flexible shaft is manipulated to extend the sampling member to the sampling position and to rotate the sampling member in the sampling position, whereby a specimen is gathered on the sampling member. The shaft is then manipulated to retract the sampling member into the tube, after which the tube is withdrawn from the vaginal canal. Subsequently, a fixative is applied to the specimen on the sampling member, and the sampling member is then separated from the shaft and is forwarded to a laboratory. At the laboratory, the specimen is analyzed intact on the sampling member.